


Meet Pugsley

by MidnightLoveStories



Series: Bewitching Universe [2]
Category: Addams Family - All Media Types, The Addams Family (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babies, Bewitching Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Married Life, Pregnancy, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 09:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17681096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightLoveStories/pseuds/MidnightLoveStories
Summary: A series of snap-shots into the life of Gomez and Morticia as they're preparing for their first baby. Bewitching Universe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Welcome back to the Bewitching Universe! Long time no see. ;)
> 
> These snapshots take place between Chapter 16 and an Epilogue of Bewitching (which you don't need to read to make sense of these stories, but it would probably help if you do :)). Gomez and Morticia have been married for five years, Ivy is almost ten at this point.

 

Chapter 1

 

It was only when they've decided to have a baby did she realize that there's a certain peculiarity to the idea of having children. Somehow one takes it all for granted, almost unconsciously.

All these years, Morticia watched various members of her extended family have children, it seemed like a natural progression, almost unremarkable in its ubiquity. She never yearned for a child herself, having children were not even remotely close on her list of priorities but then it never occurred to her not to have them either, especially since she's met one, charming Castilian and fell madly in love with him.

Naturally, due to the swiftness of their relationship, they didn't want to have children straight away. They wanted to just be together, the two of them. Of course, that idea was somewhat shot to hell with the surprise appearance of Ivy Addams, but after some rocky beginning, they adjusted to their new circumstances. Ivy was already five at that time and it was not all that difficult to prioritize their relationship around parenting to the little girl.

Hence, somewhere between the novelty of their relationship, parenting, Morticia's studies and her subsequent work at the council, combined with Gomez agreeing to help Alex at his law firm, after Alex's father unexpectedly passed away, the idea of having a child has been shoved away to the background.

Admittedly, she was more selfish in that matter than her husband, for whereas Gomez expressed his wish to have a baby repeatedly, she was much more reluctant - with her work at the council becoming more and more demanding, they didn't have all that much time for themselves as it was and she knew to have a little baby was infinitely more time consuming than having a ten-year-old. Hence, she deliberately delayed the decision to have a baby, even though Gomez was more than ready to have one, which ultimately led to some strenuous time in their relationship.

Now - now, they were past that. After the semi-disastrous conference in Oman well over a year ago, she came to re-evaluate her stance on becoming a mother. Now they both wanted to have a baby and she never, not in a million years, would have thought that they would have any trouble at all getting pregnant.

It never ever occurred to her, even for a split second, that she might  _not be able_  to have children. Such an idea simply never crossed her mind.

It never occurred to her that she might not be able to give him children and now - faced with the reality of such prospect, it was more than unbearable.

_It didn't really matter_ , she reminded herself,  _it shouldn't matter_. She had a family, a loving husband and the little girl whom she adored and who loved her in return. She was more than happy. She knew she had more to be grateful for that most people in the world. Whether they have children or not would never impact on her marriage, she knew that, they didn't need children to fulfil them.

Except it did matter. It mattered to her in a way that defied all reasoning.

She  _wanted_  to have a child with him, she wanted it more than she was ready to admit, she wanted it more than she was able to explain. It didn't mean she loved Ivy any less, far from it but she wanted this baby so much, the very need was gnawing at her insides.

Morticia bit her lips into a thin line and closed her eyes for a second as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror staring at the white stick that lay turned upside down on the top of the black, marble counter. Normally, she wouldn't bother with such things like pregnancy tests, but they have been trying for so so long she just had to be sure.

Aurora warned them the effects of the aftermath of her many encounters with demons might still be lingering in her body, most likely preventing her from getting pregnant and it could take quite some time for her body chemistry to return to normal, an for that reason she did not think much of the fact that when she first noticed her period was one week late. Only when one week turned into two and then was now approaching three did she start to wonder that perhaps she may be indeed pregnant. She didn't even share her suspicions with her darling husband, not wanting to give in to the false hopes until she was sure she was absolutely sure she was actually expecting a baby.

She was staring at the pregnancy test for over twenty minutes now, anxious to pick it up and see, scared if it was negative. She wasn't sure she wanted to know at all, wasn't sure she could handle another disappointment.

She wasn't surprised when she heard a soft knock on the bathroom door and turned her head towards the noise. She was standing her for almost half-an-hour barely moving at all, obviously, she got him worried.

"Tish," her husband's concerned voice reverberated through the door. "Everything alright, querida? "

Morticia took a deep breath to calm herself before replying.

"Fine," she replied and winced at how shaky her voice sounded. She cleared her throat. "I'll be right out, darling."

She heard him move away from the door and closed her eyes. She bit her lips into a thin line, her heart hammering in her chest as she turned the pregnancy test in her hands and slowly opened her eyes to read the result.

She gasped audibly and let out a soft cry covering her mouth with both hands, feeling tears brimming in her eyes. The white stick fell on the marble floor with an almost inaudible thud.

Morticia didn't even hear the door opening until she felt Gomez's arms around her.

"Querida?" Gomez asked in a panicked voice at the sight of his wife bent over the sink and obviously in tears. "My darling, what is it?"

He was surprised and confused when she let out a strangled laugh, the noise muffled by her hands.

After what seemed to him ages, but was probably only a couple of seconds, she turned to him trying to wipe the tears that just wouldn't stop falling. He noticed her hands were trembling.

He brought his hands to her face, tilting her head so he could look into her eyes.

"Tish, what's wrong?"he asked concerned.

She shook her head gently and then grinned at him. The glorious feeling of happiness that was coursing through her was making her hands shake with relief and joy.

"I'm pregnant," she said breathlessly and watched him stare at her as if she just spoke in a foreign language.

"What?" he whispered.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated."Gomez, darling, we're going to have a baby -"

She didn't finish because Gomez pulled her to him and placed a firm kiss on her lips and then she watched him sink into his knees before her and kiss her still perfectly flat belly. She laughed and rested her hands gently on his arms as he looked up at her lovingly, his dark eyes wide and bright with unbridled joy.

"Oh Tish, you don't know how happy you just made me," he said wrapping his arms around her middle possessively.

"I think I have some idea," she replied still grinning. She watched him rise back to his feet and place a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered and rested his hand on her abdomen gently. "Are you ok? I mean, you feeling ok?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead on his.

"I can't believe it's finally happening," she admitted.

He nodded and kissed her again.

"When can we tell everyone?" he asked and she laughed at his eagerness.

"Not yet," she said cautiously, her tone turning serious."I want this to stay just between the two of us for the next couple of weeks, I don't want…"she hesitated not wanting to voice any negative worries."Let's wait until I'm at least three months along, then we'll tell them."

"Alright,"he smiled at her and swooped her into his arms."But  _we_ get to celebrate now," he said and grinned at her suggestively.

She let out an uncharacteristic giggle and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him for a passionate kiss.

"You always have the best ideas, darling."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They had every intention of keeping Morticia's pregnancy only between the two of them as agreed, but the idea went flying out of the window not a full week later when Morticia woke up very early in the morning to violent nausea. She darted out of the bed and headed for the bathroom quicker than Gomez ever saw her moving and not a few seconds later he heard the unmistakable sound of her throwing up.

That was two days ago and Morticia spent nearly all that time either sick in the bathroom or lying in bed as she could barely rise without her stomach churning. She also declined any food, because she couldn't keep anything down and, needless to say, Eudora Addams was instantly suspicious.

Gomez thought today's morning started quite promising as he woke up before his wife and very slowly, not to disturb her sleep, got out of the bed and headed to the bathroom to perform, what Morticia often jestingly referred to as his 'morning ablutions' - because she thought he executed almost religious care when it came to his look and she found it hilarious that she often was quicker at getting ready than her beloved husband.

He barely had an opportunity to mix his shaving cream in the bowl when the door to the bathroom opened quite violently and he was unceremoniously pushed aside by his wife and she promptly vomited into the sink. Standing next to her bent form he moved her hair gently out of the way, holding it in his fist until her heaving has ceased.

"Good morning, darling," he greeted and she smirked, despite herself, at his deadpan manner and watched him open the tap, filling the glass with water and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said, taking the water from him and promptly rinsing her mouth with it."I couldn't make it any further than the sink."

"If it'll make you feel any better, your pallor looks even more stunning than usual," he complimented, placing a soft kiss to her temple.

"You're an incurable charmer, mon cher," she smiled at him and leaned against the marble basin vanity top, resting the palm of her hand on her stomach. She was sick so often for the past two days her muscles were getting sore. She was starting to wonder what on earth was she even vomiting when she barely had anything to eat, she couldn't keep anything down except tea and water.

"You're going to be sick again?"

"No…," she replied uncertainly, narrowing her eyes slightly."Maybe… no, I don't think so."

He smiled at her sympathetically and reached out to brush the strand of her raven tresses behind her ear and she smiled, touched by his tender gesture.

"Why don't you go back to bed and I'll bring you some coffee and - " he offered but before he could finish the sentence, Morticia bent over the sink and vomited again. "Alright, no coffee...tea then?"

* * *

Gomez Addams was pleased to notice that, judging by the silence, everyone in the house seemed to be still asleep. Nevertheless, in case they weren't, he skillfully sneaked unnoticed into the kitchen to make his wife a cup of tea. Over the course of his marriage, his wife made it a priority to teach him how to brew a proper cup of tea - although he always preferred coffee - his wife always followed her morning coffee with a cup of strong henbane tea. Except nowadays coffee was apparently out of the question because even the mention of the black beverage was making her sick. Nevertheless, Gomez Addams considered himself now to be proudly domesticated with his skill of brewing a half-decent cup of tea.

"Morning, daddy."

He was so convinced there was no one in the kitchen, he almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his daughter's voice and the very thought was enough to embarrass him to death.

"What on earth are you doing up at six o'clock on a Sunday morning?" he asked in an attempt to cover up the fact that she startled the hell out of him, but then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and added: "Good morning."

"Did I give you a fright?" Ivy teased and grinned when her father let out an outraged huff."You're awfully jumpy today."

"No one gives a fright to Gomez Addams," he countered passionately."It's Gomez Addams who gives frights."

"Indeed," his mother's voice reverberated behind him and he almost let out a terrified girlish squeal before turning to Eudora Addams with an annoyed glare."Good morning, dear, aren't we jumpy today?" she added with a mean smirk.

"Not funny, mama," he muttered.

"Really? I find it hilarious, how devastating that you don't appreciate my sense of humour," she deadpanned as she passed next to him."Good morning, dear," she addressed Ivy and they both grinned at each other at Gomez's expense and she went straight to the stove to put the coffee pot on.

"Morning, grandmama," she replied, shovelling another spoon of her cereals into her mouth.

"Why are you two up so early?" Gomez inquired, quite annoyed that there was now no way he could sneak his wife's tea upstairs without anyone noticing.

"Sale day," they replied in unison.

"Again?" he asked in confusion."Haven't you all went to the sale just recently? What the hell are you eating?" he added pointing to the colourful shapes in her breakfast bowl.

"Daddy that was in  _January_ , we are in March now," Ivy reminded him with a grin before adding happily."Breakfast cereals, they're called Lucky Charms - they have more sugar in them than granny's fudge!"

"You're disgusting," he teased, shaking his head good-naturedly but his daughter just grinned at him and happily shoved another spoon into her mouth. He went over to the kitchen cabinet and picked the can with dried henbane leaves and could practically  _feel_ his mother's curious glance on him.

"Tea, Gomez?" she asked sardonically."Since when do you drink tea in the morning?"

"That's not for me, it's for Morticia," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, is she still not feeling well?" she asked with such a faux tentativeness Gomez was barely able to resist not to laugh but he only grunted noncommittally in reply, just for the hell of it."Was she sick again?" his mother prodded, taking the tea can from him.

"Yeah, a bit," he replied equivocally and bit his cheeks in an attempt not to blatantly smirk at his mother's curiosity.

"Oh, poor dear," Eudora clicked her tongue sympathetically and went over back to the stove to put the kettle on for the tea."Why don't you go back upstairs and I will prepare the tea for her."

"I can do it - "

"No, no, no," she waved her hand dismissively and practically pushed him towards the stairs. "You go look after your wife, I'll take care of the tea."

"But...what about your shopping escapade?" he pointed out with only a drop of mockery.

"Oh shoosh, go back upstairs and I'll be right there with the tea," she pushed him up the stairs before turning abruptly towards Ivy with a big grin on her face and clasped her hands together, making her many bracelets jingle jovially.

Ivy frowned at her and swallowed her food before regarding her grandmama suspiciously.

"Grandmama, are you ok?" she asked warily.

"Splendid, why?"

"Because you're grinning at me like that homicidal maniac from  _The Shining."_

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Gomez asked as he opened the bedroom door to find his wife curled in the bed with an open book. Obviously, she didn't feel well enough to go back to sleep.

"Oh, absolutely dreadful," she replied happily, smiling at him as he kneeled next to the bed on the floor and slipped his hand gently into hers.

"Mama has been giving me pointed looks for two days and now insisted on preparing your tea," he warned her, placing gentle kisses along her arm. "I think the tarantula is pretty much out of the bag."

She laughed gently at his words and put the book aside on the bedside table.

"Well, I don't think we'd be able to hide it for much longer anyway."

As if on a cue, the soft knock reverberated through the room and slowly the door creaked open revealing Eudora Addams with Lurch behind her carrying a silver tray with steaming pot, a matching cup and a burned toast placed neatly on a plate.

"I made you some henbane and ginger tea, it will help settle your stomach," Eudora said and smiled gently at her daughter-in-law. In the two days since her sickness started, Morticia looked paler than Eudora has ever seen her and that's saying something - and that  _something_ might be really something dreadfully marvellous if her suspicions were correct.

"Thank you, mama," Morticia said, smiling at her gratefully.

"Gomez, help her up," Eudora said and motioned for Lurch to place the tray on the bedside table. "Thank you Lurch, you may go, I shall take care of the rest."

The butler grunted politely and left the room.

Eudora sat gently on the bed next to Morticia and handed her the steaming cup.

"Sip it very slowly, so it won't upset your stomach," she advised and Morticia nodded gently.

Morticia took one small sip testing her reaction to the hot beverage, it was pleasantly bitter and slightly spicy and she felt it settle gently in her stomach.

"It really does help,"she said somewhat surprised."Thank you."

"It's a tried and tested recipe," Eudora explained. "It helped me when I was expecting this devil here," she added fondly nodding her head towards Gomez who was standing next to the window an unmistakable grin on his face.

"I was wondering how long would it take you to get to the point," he said with a laugh sliding his hands into his trousers pockets.

"So it's true then?" Eudora looked at Morticia eagerly for confirmation, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Yes, mama," Morticia said with a happy smile."We're having a baby."

"Oh!" Eudora gasped and covered her mouth with her right hand briefly before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on Morticia's forehead. "I'm so happy, my darlings," she added and turned to Gomez pulling him into a hug.

And suddenly they heard a strangled sniff.

"Oh, mama," Gomez said affectionately wrapping his arms around her small body. "Don't cry."

"I can't help it, I'm just so happy for you," she mumbled into his chest before l lifting her head from his chest and turning slowly to Morticia."I was worried that maybe...but it's not…," she waved her hand dismissively, her voice cracking with emotions. She went to Morticia and wrapped her arms around her, kissing the side of her head affectionately.

Morticia smiled at the gesture but suddenly felt her stomach flip.

"Mama," she said in a warning.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to be sick again…"

Eudora watched stunned as her ever graceful daughter-in-law darted from the bed like a bat from hell towards the bathroom and few seconds later they heard unmistakable sounds of vomiting.

"Oh my, he really is giving her a hard time," she said wincing sympathetically.

Gomez nodded, already pouring a fresh glass of water for Morticia when he suddenly faltered at his mother's words.

"He?" he asked turning to her questioningly.

His mother nodded confidently.

"That,"she said pointing her index finger in the general direction of the bathroom."Is definitely an Addams."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Although it came to him quite unexpectedly, Gomez Addams thoroughly enjoyed being a father. Granted, there were some days he enjoyed it more thoroughly than others, such as the time when Ivy decided to befriend his ex-lover's little sister or, quite recently, started pestering Morticia and Gomez to allow her to dye her hair pink, to which they both told her firm and adamant  _no_ , but that didn't stop the almost ten-year-old to pursue the subject relentlessly until Gomez thought that if he had to listen about pink hair one more time he might actually strangle her. There was also that time, two months ago, when Ivy threw quite a magnificent tantrum when she wasn't allowed to pierce her tongue just as her best friend Kelly had, except Kelly was thirteen and, according to Melanie, her mother was nevertheless absolutely furious, so Kelly had to remove the tongue jewellery anyway and the topic died its natural death.

Generally though,  _generally,_ Gomez Addams - a lifetime optimist and a shiftless dreamer - always focused on the wonderfully fun side of the parenting and everything about his daughter he found wonderful, she was extremely fun and full of mischief, despite the number of asinine ideas she and Kelly could come with on regular basis.

He smiled contentedly, leaning against the green Packard, casually smoking his cigar as he watched his daughter leave the school with two of the girls from her class, smiling and chatting when suddenly a blond boy with pomaded hair, combed to the back jogged towards them and after a short greeting the two girls and left Ivy alone with the boy. Gomez's expression instantly darkened. What was that human worm thinking talking to his little girl -

"Daddy!" Ivy exclaimed, finally noticing him and waved excitedly. Gomez waved back but made sure to bestow his most thunderous glare at the blond boy next to her but, to his dismay, the boy apparently decided to walk Ivy to the car.

"Paloma," he smiled when Ivy hugged him and he kissed the side of her head in greeting all the while trying to glare the hell out of the boy.

"Daddy, this is my friend Timmy Pomeroy, his family lives not far from us and Timmy loves snakes," Ivy introduced the boy."So we're friends now."

"Hello Mr Addams," he greeted politely extending his hands towards Gomez.

"Pomeroy?" he inquired, shaking the boy's hand. He was quite sure there was no family of that name living in their neighbourhood.

"Yes, sir," the boy nodded."We've moved in two weeks ago."

Gomez narrowed his eyes slightly when suddenly the realization came to him.

"The house with a white picket fence and the pink geraniums?" dear Lord, trust Ivy to befriend the most peculiar people in existence. He bet they had daisies in their backyard and the very thought was enough to make him ill.

"Yes, sir," Timmy confirmed with a smile before adding excitedly:"And you live in that awesome spooky mansion, my mother almost fainted when she first saw it!"

Gomez laughed jovially at his words, ah well, maybe the boy wasn't so bad after all.

"That's very kind of you to say so," he smiled.

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you, sir," he said before turning to Ivy."I'll see you tomorrow at school Ivy."

"Bye, Timmy," she waved at him as they both watched the Pomeroy boy jog back in the direction of the school."He's nice, isn't he daddy?"

"I suppose," Gomez muttered, opening the door for her.

"Why isn't Lurch picking me up today?" she asked as she climbed to the back seat, dropping her school bag next to her.

"I thought we could go to the pet store and buy that snake breeding equipment you wanted," he replied, smiling when he heard her breath hitch with excitement as he took the seat behind the wheel.

"Daddy you're the best," she jumped happily from her seat, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck, almost strangling him."Break the speed limits!"

"Obviously," he grinned at her."That's the only way to drive."

After twenty minutes drive to the store, that normally should take forty-five, Gomez was utterly disappointed not to receive a single speeding ticket. Worst luck that at the very rush hour there was not a single policeman in the vicinity. He was still grumbling about it when they left the pet store with all the equipment Ivy needed.

"You drive too slow, daddy," Ivy remarked, rolling her eyes at her father's dramatic complaints as they were leaving the store followed by the shop assistant carrying their packages.

"I most certainly do not," he replied in a vastly offended tone."Grandmama always says I drive like a maniac."

"Ha, that's because she's your mom and doesn't want to hurt your feelings," she teased."Tish gets speeding tickets every single time, so does Lurch - now  _he_ drives like a maniac! You, know last week a policeman stopped us for speeding and told Tish that with such an irresponsible parenting style, she should have her parenting rights revoked permanently and threatened to take away her driving license - isn't that sweet of him to say that?"

"It is, indeed," he agreed and opened the back door to allow the shop assistant to deposit their shopping there."Thank you, my good man," he added, holding the man a fat roll of hundred dollar bills.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Mr Addams" the shop assistant grinned and immediately hid the money inside the pocket, shaking Gomez's extended hand.

"Daddy, can we go have ice-cream?" Ivy asked pointing at the cafe on the other side of the street.

" _You_ can have ice-cream," he decided, closing the car door."I can have coffee."

* * *

Ivy Addams thought her father's face was turning a lovely shade of green as he watched her attacking a huge portion of vanilla ice-cream with fudge and double caramel as they both sat next to the window in the small cafe.

"You wanna try?" she asked, extending the spoon with ice cream towards him and grinned when he made a face.

"I would rather die and you know that," he replied eliciting a soft giggle from her."Anyway, I wanted to tell you something."

"Ok, tell me," she prompted with her mouth full of ice cream when he stayed silent.

"Yes, well, you've probably been wondering why Tish has been so sick lately," he started, folding his hands in front of him and watched Ivy's hand froze mid-air as she was about to put another spoonful into her mouth."In case you've been worrying about her - "

"I wasn't," she interjected."She's pregnant, I know."

"Oh...has she already told you?" he wondered out loud, even though the idea didn't make sense since they agreed that Gomez would tell her today.

"No."

"Grandmama told you then?" he guessed.

"No."

"Then  _how_ do you know she's pregnant?" he asked, leaning closer towards her with a confused frown on his face.

"Daddy, I have been asking for a baby sister for years," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world." I've been preparing for this very moment since forever, reading grandpa's medical journals about antenatal care, so I would know when Tish was expecting a baby. I know  _all_  the symptoms of pregnancy and stages of development of the fetus."

"That's just...horrifying," he remarked and then added as an afterthought: "And yet strangely endearing."

"Well, that... and I saw grandmama knitting baby clothes," she grinned and Gomez laughed heartily."It wasn't all that hard to put two and two together."

Indeed, since his mother found out about the baby two days ago, she's managed to knit two sets of baby clothes - the excitement obviously getting better of her.

"Is Tish feeling better today?" Ivy inquired, swirling her finger around the empty glass to scoop the last remnants of her ice cream.

"Somewhat, she was asleep when I left," he said. His mother's tea was helping considerably but whoever called it morning sickness was apparently way off because Morticia was sick practically all the time and constant nausea made her particularly tired and so she went back to bed practically the moment she finished her phone call to Aurora.

"So, when is the baby gonna to be born?" his daughter asked excitedly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Late October or early November," he replied and his lips seemed to involuntarily stretch into a happy smile at the mere prospect.

"Oh, maybe it will be a Halloween baby!"

"It could be," he grinned at her."Ready to go back home?"

She nodded and Gomez left a hundred dollar bill under his coffee cup since he didn't have the slightest idea how much his order was but he reckoned his deliciously bitter coffee and an extremely rude waitress was definitely worth hundred dollars at the very least.

* * *

Aurora Addams tried very hard not to smirk when her driver almost tripped over his own feet so eager was the young man to open the door of the red Packard. She absolutely adored how shit scared all of them were of her. There was something absolutely delightful about the fact that grown men were afraid of a hundred-and-nine-year-old, five foot two 'tall' witch. Of course, they had very good reasons to be scared of her and her reputation for reducing grown men to little squirming nothing was still very much stellar. Still, it never failed to amuse how her reputation always seemed to precede her.

Not unlike Morticia, who despite being one of the kindest people Aurora had ever met, also made people around her extremely nervous. Aurora found it hilarious that it took her new driver whole three months to stop stuttering and trip over his own feet whenever Morticia was around.

She frowned slightly at the thought of her niece. She must admit that the morning phone call from Morticia left her quite worried for it was very unlike Morticia to take a sick day. It was an extremely rare occurrence for Morticia to take an unplanned day off at all, which told Aurora that the young woman must really be feeling quite dreadful indeed.

"Aunt Aurora," Salvador greeted her when he opened the door."What a surprise."

"Salvador, dear child, have you finally lost your mind?" Aurora inquired as he helped take off her coat."We've spoken over the phone not half an hour ago and I told you I was coming over."

"You have?" he asked bewildered and the grinned at her in, what Aurora thought, was deliberately obnoxious manner."I must have not been paying attention to what you're saying."

"I will never understand why the hell Eudora agreed to marry you," she muttered, glaring at her nephew.

"Well, I am extremely charming and undeniably handsome," he remarked casually, lighting his cigar.

"Are you? I haven't noticed," the older lady deadpanned, eliciting a jovial laugh out of him. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "My, my, you are in an awfully good mood today."

"I am indeed," he agreed happily as he led her to the parlour.

"Anything I can do to change that?" she quipped as she sat down in her favourite armchair near the fireplace.

"Not in a million years," he grinned."Brandy?"

"Do you have to ask?"

He smirked and went to pour her a glass of amber liquid.

"Manners are manners and you always complain I have none," he remarked, holding his cigar between his teeth.

"That's because you don't," she replied, accepting the drink. "Thank you," she took a small sip."Is Morticia feeling better?"

"Ah, yes and no," he answered, taking a seat in an armchair opposite hers and crossed his legs. "Eudora gave her something to help with the morning sickness but …-"he frowned when Aurora's eyes widened in surprise."Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Morning sickness?" she repeated, placing her glass on the small table next to her."You mean she's pregnant?"

"Well, of course, ...oh," he faltered and winced immediately after."Oh...oh hold on, I was not supposed to tell anyone yet."

"Salvador," his aunt regarded him in an exasperated manner but could hardly contain her smile at the news."You couldn't hold a secret to save your life, you doofus."

"Just promise to act surprised when Morticia tells you," he pleaded but he wasn't sure he cared for the mean look that crossed his elderly aunt face."She wanted to tell you in person."

"Oh, I promise," she drawled before her lips curled into a vicious smirk.

* * *

Morticia Addams was surprised to wake up to the feeling of no nausea for the first time in days. She nevertheless decided to proceed with extra prudence in case the non-nausea turned to be a temporary illusion. She raised slowly and swung her feet of the bed, testing her body's reaction, but the movement hasn't caused her stomach to churn at all. It seemed her mother-in-law's tea was indeed working, which was a relief because she was certainly getting tired of being constantly sick.

She pushed herself gently off the bed and looked at the bedside clock, four o'clock in the afternoon, which meant she slept for most of the day and yet she felt as if she didn't have any rest at all. She was so tired, but she figured it was because for the last four days she was surviving on tea and a piece of toast, she should probably try to eat something. Gomez should be back with Ivy soon so she decided to have a quick shower and then try to eat some burned toast with tea before they come back but as soon as the thought occurred to her she felt her stomach flip and she barely made it to the bathroom in time.

She barely made it out of the bathroom, wrapped securely in a bathrobe when the door opened with a soft click and her husband entered quietly, obviously mindful of the noise in case she was still sleeping and she smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"I thought you were still asleep," he said in a manner of greeting, balancing a porcelain saucer with a cup, in his left hand - no doubt containing freshly brewed tea for her. He placed the cup on her dresser and graced Morticia with a bright smile, making his way towards her. "Mama asked me to wake you up and force some food on you," he added and wrapped his arms around her, placing a soft kiss to her lips.

"I was going to force some food on myself as a matter of fact," she smiled back, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaned into him for another kiss."Have you spoken to Ivy?"

"I have but it turned out she already knew," he replied furtively.

"She knew?" she looked at him, raising her eyebrow in a bemused manner and watched her husband nod.

"Yeah, she noticed mama knitting baby clothes," he explained before adding:"Did you know she was reading your father's medical journals and now she knows all there is about symptoms of pregnancy and development of a fetus?"

Morticia blinked and looked at him in confusion, silently processing his words.

"No," she finally replied."I did not know that and I'm not sure whether to be incredibly touched or incredibly frightened."

"My thoughts exactly," he grinned."She's very excited about the baby...although she's convinced it's a girl."

Morticia laughed softly and took off the towel off her hair, dumping it on the chair.

"Lucky her, she's going to be so disappointed," she said, placing one more kiss on his lips before moving into the direction of her dresser. She barely had time to sit and reach for the hairbrush before she felt his soft lips on the back of her neck and smiled contentedly, caressing his cheek in a tender manner.

"Let me do it," he murmured, taking the hairbrush from her, smoothing it through her raven tresses and watch a playful, wilful smile grace her ruby lips.

He knew his wife found in utterly amusing how obsessed he was with her hair but he absolutely adored it. He loved how long and silky soft they were and their musky, earthy scent drove him wild. He was happy to notice that the black tresses were again reaching almost to Morticia's hips. He still remembered when over a year ago she came back home from her visit to the beauty parlour with her mother and sister and he found, to his utter horror, that her hair was reaching just below her shoulder blades and he almost cried. Morticia initially found the whole situation hilarious, until two weeks later her husband was still sulking about the new haircut, even though it was only a few inches, and he cheered up only after she promised not to cut them so short again.

"Aurora is here, by the way," he remarked casually, totally immersed in the task of brushing her hair."She was worried about you," he explained when he caught her look in the mirror.

"Have you told her?" she asked over the rim of her teacup.

"No," he shook his head gently."She said father spilt the beans three minutes after she arrived," he grinned.

"That tattletale," Morticia remarked, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval but smiled affectionately nevertheless. Her father-in-law was walking on a cloud nine ever since finding out about the baby.

"She's very happy," he said, working gently on a particularly stubborn knot before catching her look in the mirror."She  _hugged_ me."

"She didn't," she countered immediately and her lips curled into a bemused smile at the very thought. She's never seen Aurora hug Gomez,  _never_  even on their wedding day.

"I swear she did," he insisted, grinning at her."You can ask father, he almost choked on his brandy," he added, eliciting a gentle laugh from her. He kneeled beside her and put the hairbrush on the dressing table."All done."

"Thank you, darling," she smiled and placed a loving kiss on his lips.

She felt his hand rest gently on her stomach and her heart constricted at this new kind of tenderness reflected in his touch and the way he looked at her. Of course, they always looked at each other lovingly, she couldn't think of any other way to look at this mad Castilian she adored so much, but there was something new in the way he looked at her since she told him she was expecting a baby. She couldn't exactly describe what it was but it never failed to make her breath hitch whenever she caught him gazing at her like that - this tenderness, that was always there but then it was completely new, he looked at her with such a tremendous amount of love and gratitude as if she was the world's greatest treasure and, she thought, for him she probably was, because that's how madly and completely they loved each other.

"I shall tell mama to prepare some food for you," he said, still caressing her stomach in a gentle manner.

"Can you ask Lurch to serve it in the parlour?" she asked."I don't want Aurora to walk all those stairs to the kitchen, I think her leg has been bothering her lately more than usual."

He nodded gently and smiled, not for the first time amazed by how mindful and benevolent she was, Morticia was incredibly observant and always noticed all those little smallest details other people would probably never even paid the slightest attention to. It was a quality that was simultaneously incredibly precious, when bestowed upon her family and those whom she loved, and absolutely lethal if one stepped on her toes.

"I love you, Tish," he whispered, slipping his hand into her damp hair and pulling her closer to himself.

She rested her forehead against his and touched the sharp curves of his jaw.

"Forever."

* * *

"Auntie," Morticia greeted the older lady the moment she entered the parlour."I'm so sorry I had you waiting," she apologised, placing two customary kisses on her aunt's cheeks.

"Oh nonsense," Aurora huffed gently in a dismissive manner before enclosing Morticia's hand in hers and regarding the younger woman tenderly."Congratulations, my dear, I'm so happy for you."

Morticia couldn't help but grin. She wasn't exactly sure why but she didn't expect Aurora to be so enthusiastic about her pregnancy. Perhaps it was because Aurora didn't particularly like children and was always very open and unapologetic about it. Although, Morticia wouldn't as far to describe Aurora's feelings towards children a dislike, but she certainly had very limited patience when it came to dealing with the level of noise and excitement, Addams children, in particular, could produce. Yet, to Aurora's utter dismay, all the Addams children seemed to adore her, the more she glared at them and threatened to turn them into lizards of various kinds the more they seemed to love her.

"Thank you, auntie," she said softly as she sat at the sofa next to Aurora's chair and curled her legs under her, resting her chin on the pillow of her hand."I'm sorry I worried you, though, but I wanted to tell you in person instead of over the phone, yet I hear my dear father-in-law took care of that," she remarked teasingly and watch Aurora's lips curl into a mean smirk.

"You should know better than trust that tattletale to keep a secret," she commented, taking a sip of her tea."You look awful, though," she added with obvious concern."Ivy said the baby is trying to make you vomit your guts."

Morticia laughed softly at the description.

"Well, this flowery description is more or less close to the truth," she admitted."This baby is striving very hard for attention," she added affectionately, placing her hand over her stomach.

"Well, surely you expected nothing else," Aurora remarked, sipping her tea slowly."Like a father, like a son."

"How true," she laughed at the teasing remark."I'm grateful, though, for a while I thought it may never happen," she confessed and watched the older lady nod understandingly before replacing her empty teacup onto the saucer.

"I worried too," she admitted."I'm glad all is well, but you must take all the time you need to rest, I don't want you to push yourself."

"I won't, I promise," she replied tenderly at her aunt's concern."Although I still want to complete training my group for the exams before the Ēostre Festival."

"If you feel up to it, I don't see why not," Aurora agreed gently."But I may finish their training and conduct their exams if needs be."

"You?" she asked incredulously.

"Why not?"

"Last time you've called them the biggest bunch of idiots you've seen in a decade," she pointed out.

"I have?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as if searching her memory of such event and watched Morticia nod her head with amusement."Oh well, they've been under your capable care for almost six months, I expect they've graduated to the level of at least half-witted morons."

"I'm honoured you think so highly of my teaching skills," Morticia grinned, shaking her head in amusement.

There was a soft grunt and they both turned in the direction of the door where Lurch entered, carrying a silver tray with Morticia's tea and neatly cut into small triangles, black-burned toasts. He places the tray on the table and pushed it closer to Morticia.

"Thank you, Lurch," she smiled at him and the butler grunted politely and stared at her for few seconds before finally producing the purple cushion and handed it to her tentatively. Morticia frowned gently, slightly confused, the cushion seemed surprisingly heavy."For me?"

The butler nodded.

"To make sitting more comfortable later," he said, drawing his words in his usual manner."Later, when the baby grows," he explained, noticing her confused expression."I put stones inside, to make it more comfortable."

"Oh, how sweet of you," Morticia smiled at him gratefully, deeply touched by his concern, hugging the pillow closely to herself."Thank you so much, I love it."

The butler blushed and grunted before slowly retreating from the parlour, never one to be comfortable with such a conglomeration of human emotions.

Morticia turned to Aurora with a warm smile on her face, poking the stone-stuffed cushion.

"Isn't he precious?" she almost cooed, so utterly touched at the butler's gift.

"Ah, there's a reason he's been the butler here ever since my great-grandfather Sigmund Addams hired him during the Civil War," Aurora reminisced fondly."Lurch is irreplaceable."

"How very true," Morticia agreed and reached for a piece of a burned toast. She took a small bite to test if her stomach was up for food but to her relief, it didn't even churn.

"Have you told you father yet?" Aurora inquired.

"Not yet," Morticia shook her head gently."I think Gomez is rather trepidatious about telling papa."

Aurora almost rolled her eyes.

"Why, in seven hells, your father will be delighted," she assured."You've been married for five years, there's nothing to be trepidatious about."

Morticia nodded in agreement, chewing on her toast before replying with a clear amusement in her tone:

"You know papa," she smiled."I'm his precious baby after all and Gomez took me away - that's unforgivable offence," she winked.

"Oh, and now lo and behold, Gomez knocked his precious daughter up," she nodded understandingly before grinning viciously.

"Colloquially speaking, yes," Morticia replied."I want to invite them for lunch on Sunday here, I don't think I can handle a car ride to my parents' house...you're welcome to join us to see my dear papa glaring the hell out of my beloved husband," she added willfully, making Aurora laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

Mortimer J. Frump - a renowned surgeon, a great fencing enthusiast and die-hard Gilligan's Island fan - knew something was up the moment his daughter called to invite them all for a Sunday lunch over to the Addams mansion instead of their traditional Sunday lunches at the Frump household. When he asked his daughter for a reason, she just said they didn't have lunch together as a whole family for a while and she fancied a little family get together.

The request wasn't anything out of ordinary, because Morticia enjoyed getting the whole family together. Indeed, Salvador and Eudora often joined them for Sunday lunches, but that was nevertheless still at Frump household, so unless they were throwing a party at the mansion, there was certainly something bigger behind this invitation.

He tried to interrogate his wife and oldest daughter as to what the reason for that might be, but they seemed to be as clueless as him.

He decided to phone his sister, Mabel, in Paris, but she insisted she had no idea and he was sure she lied through her teeth and whatever it was, Morticia already informed her aunt.

Subsequently, he tried investigating the matter through Ivy, who usually spilt the beans within fifteen seconds but first she told him it was a formal lunch to celebrate Aurora's retirement - which was an acceptable reason but then few days later she told him it was to show them her new snake breeding equipment and then on Friday she decided the lunch was to inform everyone that Morticia was Gomez were divorcing and her and Ivy were moving to Los Angeles to live a life of stardom and glamour - hence, ultimately, he decided to stop asking and patiently wait for the Sunday lunch.

His second indication that something was indeed up was the fact that his son-in-law looked like he wanted to crawl under the nearest rock the moment he opened the door and Mortimer glared at him in a manner of friendly greeting. Gomez was also unwittingly touching the back of his head, the way he always did when Mortimer used to slap the brains out of him for mauling his precious daughter - so that was mighty suspicious, because Mortimer, to his utter disappointment, didn't have an opportunity to slap his daughter's husband in years.

"Hello, papa," his daughter greeted him warmly, kissing his cheeks in her usual fashion.

"Hello, darling," he replied, smiling at her affectionately. He thought she looked rather paler and tired, but then  _that_ wasn't all that unusual at all."Smells delicious," he commented at the aroma of Eudora's cooking coming from the kitchen.

"Ah, it is, it's mama's spécialité de la maison," his daughter declared with a smile and Mortimer mentally groaned, preparing himself what inevitably followed every time his daughter spoke french, but to his surprise Gomez didn't even seem no notice she said anything at all, his attention focused entirely on helping Hester take off her coat and that -  _that_ was not merely suspicious, that was unthinkable.

What the hell has his son-in-law done to make him look so damn scared?

Mortimer's mind instantly filled with suspicions, but before those suspicions could be fully formed Lurch rang the bell for lunch and the conversation flowed so smoothly that Mortimer all but forgot about his suspicions.

"Daddy is mean because he won't allow me to invite a friend for a playdate," Ivy complained when Mortimer noticed her glaring at Gomez throughout the entire meal and casually asked whatever the matter was.

Gomez, however, let out an outraged huff and pointed his fork at his daughter.

"You may invite any friend you want, as long as it's a girl," he declared and next to him Morticia smirked, clearly amused by his vehement stance on the matter.

"Oh, you didn't tell me you have a boyfriend, Ivy," Ophelia exclaimed excitedly.

"She doesn't - ," Gomez hissed through his teeth.

"His name is Timmy Pomeroy," Ivy announced, turning to her aunt."He loves spiders and snakes. I want him to come over to see my snakes, but daddy won't let me."

"Gomez, really," Ophelia interjected, rolling her eyes on him."She's ten years old, don't get paranoid."

"She's  _nine_ ," he stressed."And I'm her father I can be as paranoid as I wish."

"If you're so stressed now, imagine what it would be like when she'll enter her teenage years," Eudora muttered meanly, grinning at her son.

"I'm going to invite Timmy after school on Wednesday," Ivy decided.

"No, you will not invite  _Timmy_ ," Gomez glared at her over his wine glass and tried to ignore his father and father-in-law who were having entirely too much fun with the whole exchange."Boys have only one thing on their mind."

"You would know now, would you," Mortimer quipped.

Ivy grunted unhappily and took out the bag of fudge Hester brought and started munching on in moodily, still glaring at her father.

Mortimer watched as Morticia tried very hard not to laugh at the two of them, apparently, this was an ongoing latest father-daughter argument, Gomez and Ivy indulged in periodically to the utter amusement of the rest of the family members.

"Relax, darling, perhaps he's a nice boy, why don't you give him a chance?" she teased before, seemingly unwittingly, reaching into Ivy's bag and popping one of the vanilla cube-shaped fudge candies into her mouth.

The silence in the room was suddenly deafening as every pair of eyes in the room turned to young Mrs Addams as she casually chewed on the gooey candy.

"What?" she asked finally when everybody just stared at her as if they were frozen, including Ivy whose mouth was practically hanging open.

"Fudge, Tish?" he father finally spoke in a tone that was somewhere between amusement and utter bewilderment. "What are you? Pregnant?" he added offhandedly and next to him Gomez almost choked on his wine.

"Oh my God!" Hester exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes already brimming with happy tears and Morticia mentally prepared herself for a full-blown meltdown."Oh my God...my baby...is...going to have a baby…," she choked out, her words muffled behind her hands. She got up from the table so abruptly she almost knocked the cutlery off the table if Ophelia and Aurora didn't catch it."Oh, I'm going to cry," she announced, despite the fact that she already was crying and went over to Morticia, embracing her into a firm hug.

"Mama, don't cry," she placated, patting her mother comfortingly as Hester happily sobbed into her shoulder.

"I can't believe you're having a baby," she mumbled."I'm so happy," she said, kissing the side of Morticia's head."I just...I just can't wait to rub it into the face of that Glicker woman - "

"And Matilda," Eudora supplied with a mean smile."I can't wait to see the look on that old crone's face."

"Oooh, definitely," Hester agreed before she embraced Morticia in another hug.

"Gods, you two," Morticia rolled her eye."It's not a competition."

"Oh, my darling," her mother cooed, smoothing her daughter's raven hair."How you know nothing at all…"

Aurora Addams smiled contentedly but her eye didn't leave Mortimer as she patiently waited…

"You've got my little girl pregnant?" Mortimer Frump, never one to disappoint, hissed at Gomez who, to his credit, squirmed in his chair only slightly.

"Little...she's twenty-six," he defended firmly."We've been married for five years, for God's sake."

Mortimer doubled the glare for a good measure but his gaze softened immediately when it rested upon his daughter, who was being practically strangled in her mother's loving embrace.

"Ah, damn Tish, you can't be that old," he practically hoarsely, blinking rapidly."It seems it's just yesterday we were buying you your first vulture."

"Awww, daddy, don't cry," Ophelia placated with a happy grin, obviously delighted at the news, embracing her father who was very clearly falling apart.

"I'm  _certainly not_ crying," he denied in a pitiful voice."When…," he sniffed."When is it due?"

"Late October," Morticia announced when Hester finally released her and went to hug Gomez, who looked immediately like he wanted to run from the room but dutifully accepted the hug.

Before Mortimer could say anything Ivy sighed happily.

"When I'm gonna marry Timmy," Ivy announced confidently eliciting an outraged choke from her father."We're going to have ten children!"

"You will certainly  _not_  marry  _any_ bloody Timmy," Gomez hissed from behind his mother-in-law's embrace, ignoring a self-satisfying smirk that was currently forming on his father-in-law's face."Or anyone with a pansy name like that."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Morticia Addams couldn't say she had any particular expectations with the regards to her pregnancy prior getting pregnant and she didn't see any particular need to educate herself on the topic - partly because, after all, women were getting pregnant since forever without any books to aid them and, partly, because her step-daughter took it upon herself to educate her - relentlessly and obsessively - on this particular subject so she really  _really_ didn't feel like reading anything more on the subject pertaining pregnancy and childbearing. Also, she found those books mind-numbingly boring. That being said, she was infinitely glad the stage of morning sickness has finally passed and she could resume her everyday routine without constantly feeling nauseous.

Except - except, there was one aspect of the pregnancy that took her by surprise and no, it wasn't the fact that she already was showing more than she expected she would be at barely the fourth month into her pregnancy and had to replace her dresses with the ones made of a more stretchy material because her hips got wider, which she could do without but it was acceptable...ish. It wasn't even the fact that her breasts got larger since that actually she found hilarious because her husband seemed to have suddenly lost his ability to look her in the eyes.

Nevertheless, all those changes Morticia expected at some point because she was, after all, pregnant. Yet, for some unfathomable reason, expected as they were, her changing body made her burst into tears. The more she thought about it the more she couldn't, for the life of her, explain why the hell was she feeling so emotional about it? She couldn't even explain to Gomez why was she crying so ardently when he struggled to console her and was clearly taken aback by her peculiar behaviour as much as she was.

It suddenly seemed to her as if she has lost control over her own feelings and one moment she could be ecstatic about practically  _anything_  and have a complete meltdown ten seconds later.

She was pretty sure she would rather take constant morning sickness instead of this disaster, this utter mayhem, this tragedy that was pregnancy hormones.

It made her feel as if she was going insane at times and  _not_  in a particularly pleasant way one usually went insane. Just like now, for example, at this very moment, Morticia Addams was absolutely sure she was going insane -

"I had to see it with my own eyes," her husband has announced in a tone of amused disbelief the moment he entered the parlour in an abrupt manner.

"This isn't funny, Gomez," she tried to glare at him but failed miserably because the tears just wouldn't stop falling.

"You mean to tell me that Ivy didn't make this up? You really -"

"I shall not talk about it," she announced, wiping her eyes carefully with her black handkerchief.

"I would give away half of the Addams fortune to be there when it happened," he declared dramatically before kneeling in front of her."Do it again."

_Oh, if look could kill…._

"I want a divorce," she deadpanned.

"Never," he grinned, placing a soft kiss to the side of her knee."You're stuck with me forever."

She smiled at his word, despite herself, even though she really wanted to just glare the hell out of him but failed miserably.

"The snake eggs hatched," she announced suddenly and watched him blink furiously in confusion."I came home and Ivy dragged me upstairs to see the baby snakes and…" she explained a took a deep breath to calm herself down before finally exclaiming:"They looked so precious, Gomez, so _...cute_."

She watched his eyes twinkle with a barely concealed amusement as he bit his lips into a thin line.

"And that's the reason you've been sitting here for two hours crying your precious eyes out?"he finally asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed and burst into tears again.

Gomez Addams almost died with all the effort he was putting into biting his cheeks to prevent himself from laughing but this was just absolutely hilarious.

He arrived home not ten minutes ago, from his business meeting, only to find Ivy waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs in the hall with a very worried expression on her face and then informed him that his wife -  _his wife the dark witch,_ his darling querida - burst into tears when Ivy showed her the baby snakes and has been sitting in the parlour crying about it and no one was able to console her and Ivy started to worry her stepmother was going crazy - and not the fun kind.

These sudden bursts of tears started practically the moment her morning sickness ceased.

The first time it occurred was when Morticia came home from the council and burst into tears the moment she saw Gomez stepping out of the library to greet her and practically threw herself at him. It took him a few good minutes to find out why was she in tears before she finally told him it was because she missed him so much.

He thought it was adorable. He also made a mistake of telling her so and she almost murdered him there and then and refused to speak to him for the rest of the day.

"Come on, querida, it's nothing," he tried to appease her."It's just hormones."

"It's  _not nothing,_ Gomez," she hissed at him and he blinked in surprise, taken aback but such an abrupt change in her tone. She grabbed him by the collar and bestowed at him such a ferocious glare he had to surpass an almost overwhelming urge to gulp."What's next? Fluffy puppies and rainbows? Gomez…" she whined and bit her lips in a miserable gesture before burying her head into his chest and bursting into another fit of cry."I'm turning into my mother," she moaned pitifully.

"You're  _not_  turning into your mother, Tish," he placated, kissing her forehead tenderly and caressing her back in an appeasing manner."You're still as vicious and deadly as you ever were."

"Do you really think so?"

"From the bottom of my rotten heart," he assured."Besides, think of how wonderful it's going to be once the baby is here and you can bask in a glorious misery of postnatal depression."

"Oh my God, you're the best husband ever," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck before attacking his lips in a ferocious kiss."You always know how to make me feel all gloomy again."

He didn't even have a chance to reply before she captured his lips into a ravenous kiss and was only vaguely aware of his daughter's annoyed groan and the loud thud of the door closing that followed.

* * *

It took all of her willpower not to let out a large sigh of exasperation at the scene before her and the baby apparently sensed her annoyance, reciprocating with a strong kick. She smiled, despite herself, caressing the spot where the baby delivered its masterful kick.

It was merely ten o'clock in the morning but Morticia was almost ready to call it a day. She barely got any sleep during the night because the baby decided suddenly that the middle of the night was the best time to be active.

Her second trimester went so disappointingly smoothly, sans the madness of hormonal changes, she's barely noticed she was pregnant at all, except for her growing stomach, nothing much changed. Then the third trimester came and the baby was much bigger now and  _very_  active which came with increasing fatigue but also lovely discomfort of a backache so she couldn't really complain. She absolutely loved feeling the baby moving and so did her husband. Perhaps, she could do without being woken up in the middle of the night with a kick in the ribs but, all in all, the discomforts of carrying new life were just heavenly.

What she  _really_ could do without, though, was the increased blood pressure she was currently experiencing as she watched her group practice defence against a demon's attack.

She was starting to understand why Aurora Addams was so cynical when it came to an institutionalised study of witchcraft. Besides the understandable governing and necessary control over what was taught to the young and impressionable witches and wizards, all sorts of politics were in place behind running an institution such as The American Council of Witchcraft. It wasn't, though, until Morticia started to work for the said council that she realized the true extent of those politics. To say that she was not impressed was a vast understatement.

To say that the young man, she was currently assessing, wasn't going to last two seconds in a real encounter with a demon was another understatement. Whatever got him the place in this program it wasn't his abilities. Whereas she understood their desperate and constantly increasing need for funding,  _this_ was pure insanity as she was quite sure the young man wouldn't recognize the dark forces even if he tripped over them.

The demon was hovering above his red head for over two minutes and it was only for the fact that it was well aware that if he tried to kill the boy, Morticia would turn him into a pile of dust in a split second, that Karl Evans had still his head attached to his body.

"Geoffrey," she said in a matter of greeting, even before he announced himself, without taking her eyes off the boy.

"Mrs Addams," Geoffrey replied, taking a stance next to her with a well-practised causality which, Morticia knew, indicated that whatever his business was with her it was nothing to look forward to.

"Anything I can do for you?" she asked conversationally.

"Just came to let you know that I've got a word from the upper echelons about Aurora's budget proposal for the next year," he started.

"I reckon it's some truly fantastic news since you're delivering it to me instead of Aurora," she said sarcastically, shading her eyes from the sun.

"Indeed, they've accepted but with a fifteen per cent slash," he revealed and Morticia couldn't help but groan at the news."They said we have to lay low, things are getting tense."

"When are they not getting tense?" she countered jadedly. Gods, she really didn't look forward to telling her aunt the news. The old lady will go ballistic."Is it finalised?"

"No, not yet but I don't expect them to suddenly have a change of heart and start throwing money at us."

"No," she smirked despite the unfavourable news."I don't suppose they'd do that."

"How is he doing?" Geoffrey asked, nodding at the tall red headed young man in the middle of the field. His eyes closed, clearly focused on... whatever he was doing.

"He's a dead man walking," she quipped, still in the process of writing extensive notes with her elegant cursive. She didn't bother to acknowledge Geoffrey's amused snort."How much has his father paid to get him into this program?"

" _A lot_ ," he admitted."My brother has powerful friends at the Centrum, nothing I could do. Besides, in the current climate, we can't afford to be picky with the fundings."

"Is that your brother's way of getting rid of him?" she asked saltily."Because he's as good as dead in the field," she remarked, finally looking at him. To his credit, he had the decency to look extremely uncomfortable and she knew it was not only because his nephew shouldn't be here in the first place but, what was probably more accurate, that he was the very person who accused Aurora of nepotism when she first helped Morticia arrange the transfer to the Council.

"This is why I insisted on placing him in your group," he remarked and laughed mirthlessly when she raised her eyebrow in bemused gesture."I figured either you perform some kind of miracle - "

" - no miracle will get him through this program, Geoffrey," she stated coldly but it was the truth. The boy didn't have what it takes to merely survive within the depths of the field that was dark magic.

"- or you'll scare him to death and he'll quit by the time he reaches his second year," he divulged calmly before flashing her, what she reckoned was supposed to be a charming smile.

Morticia Addams didn't find it the least amusing. There were plenty of talented dark witches and wizards who would thrive in this program. Instead, she was forced to waste her time on some privileged, arrogant half-wit who didn't even take it seriously.

Ah well, perhaps she could allow the demon to have a little fun since it was so patient today.

Geoffrey watched Morticia nod her head ever so slightly and within split second his nephew let out a surprised and clearly terrified shriek as he was unceremoniously flung on the other side of the field. The glacial expression on Morticia's face didn't even flinch as Karl barely had a chance to pick himself from the ground - a bewildered expression on his face, his nose bleeding profusely - before he was thrown against the side of the building.

Geoffrey couldn't help but wince at the sound of a dull hit what could only be Karl's head connecting with a concrete wall.

"That's enough, don't you think?" he offered with a force indifference but Morticia could sense he was getting nervous and allowed a gentle smirk to grace her face as she tilted her head slightly, casually observing as the boy fell to the ground, clutching his middle and groaning painfully.

"I haven't decided yet," she remarked calmly but raised her hand nevertheless when she noticed the demon was ready for another lunge - a lunge that the boy was unlikely to come out alive from, and the creature froze in mid-movement.

"Mr Addams must be a very brave man to have married you," Geoffrey said, before covering his discomfort with a small cough. "Or absolutely mad."

"Or both," she smirked."Most importantly, Mr Addams is not an imbecile. What certainly couldn't be said about young Mr Evans here."

Geoffrey tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in a half-amused, half-worried manner but didn't comment verbally on her assessment.

"Karl," she called the young man and they both waited for the young man to pick himself up from the ground and shakily make his way towards them."Are you suicidal or plain stupid, I really can't decide?" Morticia asked bluntly.

"Ma'am?" Karl blinked, entirely surprised by her hostile manner while at the same time trying to stop the bleeding with the sleeve of his maroon shirt. He was so taken aback he didn't even acknowledge his uncle.

"There was a demon hovering above your very head for almost five minutes," she explained."Have you not sensed it at all?"

"No, Mrs Addams."

"And why is that?"

"I was..." he swallowed heavily. In all honesty, he was otherwise occupied, trying to woo the girls in his group. Suddenly, to his utter horror, he let out a shakily laugh."I was trying to impress the girls, ma'am," he supplied lightly, in a desperate hope to charm her but Mrs Addams didn't even blink and his smile evaporated as quickly as it appeared.

"I hope you'll find it equally amusing when you're going to be ripped apart by a demon," she predicted coldly."As it will inevitably happen because, if you keep this attitude, there's no way you will last two seconds in front of a demon. What you've experienced now is  _nothing_ in comparison to the real thing. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed politely and Morticia had a sudden urge to headslap the hell out of him.

"You don't understand a damn thing, Karl," she assessed frostily."You may go clean the blood off," she added and without paying him any further notice turned to the rest of her group."Celeste," she addressed the young girl with a head full of curly hair and the girl nodded at her politely, already flexing her fingers."You're next."

* * *

It must be her old age, Aurora Addams decided as she sat in the parlour, listening to the gentle sounds of a harpsichord. It had to be her old age, there was no other explanation because Aurora Addams was never one prone to wistful ruminations. Yet, nowadays it happened to her more often than not. She couldn't really tell what prompted those reflections in the first place but they seemed to be her constant companions as of late.

Yet, as she took in the people currently occupying the parlour it was increasing difficult not to feel simultaneously blessed and regretful.

She wouldn't go as far as to claim that she regretted the way she lived her life because she certainly didn't. She always put her needs first and lived her life the way she wanted, the way she chose - despite countless obstacles on her way and she never regretted a single thing, she was proud of the life she lived.

She didn't have regrets and even if she had she wouldn't waste her precious time pondering upon what could have been, she couldn't think of a less productive task to devote herself to.

Except, sometimes, rarely but still, she found herself wondering if, perhaps, she could've played her cards differently, if she wasn't so stubborn, if she had less of a tunnel vision, if she allowed  _him_ to be there for her. If she had a more balanced approach...then maybe, perhaps, possibly…

She turned her eyes, again, to the sofa opposite her armchair, where Morticia and Gomez were sitting together, well Morticia was actually spread on the sofa, her head propped against the arm of the sofa, a purple cushion - a gift from Lurch - placed securely under her neck, her legs placed over her husband's laps and her hand resting protectively over her pregnant stomach, listening attentively to her husband reading from a book of baby names and she periodically either laughed or wrinkled her nose in dismay.

Aurora saw a great deal of herself in her niece. Morticia had the same passion for the dark arts Aurora had, or once had more accurately, nowadays her look at things was more jaded. However, where once she was of an opinion that there was no place for love and family in the life of a dark witch, looking at those two love-sick fools, made her reconsider he stance...sometimes, maybe, a little.

It was not without its challenges, but Gomez and Morticia managed to go through each obstacle and only to grow stronger and stronger as a couple. Aurora have never seen a bond like the one that existed between those two people and she lived quite a long life.

Ivy Addams barged into the parlour with a stack of books under her arms, interrupting Aurora's musings and the older lady smiled affectionately at the interruption - that too, she considered a sign of old age. Once upon a time, she would have glared the hell out of the little girl for her blatant disregard of good manners.

"You need to read those," she declared to her step-mother who was obviously trying very hard not to groan with exasperation and that too made Aurora smile.

"No, I do not," Morticia countered gently."But thank you for your efforts."

"Tish, these are  _essential guides_  to raising children," Ivy insisted."How are you gonna raise this baby is you don't read the manual first."

"I have raised both of my children without any manuals whatsoever," Eudora announced from behind her knitting work where a grey baby onesie was already taking form.

"You see?" Morticia agreed, pointing her open palm towards her mother-in-law.

"Oh, gee, no offence grandmama but this specimen here is hardly an example of a child well-raised," Ivy rolled her eyes, pointing at her father who didn't even have the decency to act offended at her judgement.

"Hear, hear," Aurora supplied with a mean smirk from her place next to the fireplace where she was nursing her usual glass of brandy and almost laughed when Eudora glared at her.

Eudora stopped knitting and looked at Morticia with an exasperated expression on her face.

"Everybody's a critic," she muttered in disbelief to which her daughter-in-law nodded sympathetically."I think Gomez is a fine specimen of a child well-raised, thank you very much."

"I think so too," Morticia agreed, smiling at her husband."He's a truly rotten apple."

"Cara," he grinned and leaned towards her, placing a loving kiss on her lips.

"Oh  _come on_ , he didn't even notice he had a baby until I was five-years-old," she reminded, eliciting amused snorts from Aurora and Salvador.

"That's  _not_ what happened and you know it," Gomez pointed out, jabbing at her with his half-smoked cigar.

They've all turned curiously towards the direction of the hall when they heard a loud commotion and not two seconds later Wedge Addams stood at the entrance to the parlour, looking very much as if he was about to burst into tears.

"My son is possessed," he declared dramatically looking straight at Morticia."Help him."

He watched everyone's expression turn from confusion to panic then to utter disbelief before switching back to confusion.

"That's absolutely impossible, Wedge," it was Aurora who spoke, frowning at him."Whatever makes you think the child is possessed?"

"He is, trust me," Wedge insisted, making his way further into the parlour before flopping dramatically on the sofa, next to Eudora, covering his face with his hands."Either that or he's going completely insane."

"Maybe he's hormonal," Ivy piped out thoughtfully."It happens to Tish all the time."

"It certainly does  _not_ ," Morticia countered immediately, narrowing her eyes in mock reproach."How dare you?"

"Well, excuse me," Ivy insisted, putting her hand on her hips."May I remind you that just yesterday - "

"- whatever happened to the poor boy for you to think he's possessed?" Morticia asked immediately, deliberately interrupting Ivy before she could say anything further and next to her Gomez was trying very hard not to smirk.

"Oh, it's so horrifying, I can hardly talk about it," Wedge declared in a heart-broken tone."Lith is beside herself, she hasn't stopped crying ever since..." he tried to explain but his voice broke miserably.

"Oh, my dear," Eudora said comfortingly, abandoning her knitting, and wrapped her arms around him."Tell us what is it, I'm sure we can help."

"He brought….he brought a bat home," Wedge declared finally and looked upon them for a reaction but they just all looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh, come now, that's a perfectly fine pet," Salvador spoke, frowning."Perhaps a bit messy but certainly nothing to warrant such despair, my boy."

"No, uncle, a  _baseball_ bat," he stressed pitifully."He wants to  _play baseball_ ," he nodded as they all exclaimed in horror."It's true."

"He wouldn't," Gomez said in disbelief."He's an Addams, he would never…"

"He did," Wedge admitted miserably."We can't get through to him but that's not the worst of it."

"There's  _more_?"

"Unfortunately…," he nodded."I don't know what to do, we tried talking to him but he just won't listen...oh, my heart just won't take this anymore!"

"Come, come," Aurora said gently."I'm sure it's not ad bad as - "

"He wants to join boy scouts, auntie!" Wedge declared and closed his eyes tightly as if the very idea was physically painful and soon after there was a sound of Aurora's glass hitting the floor.

"No," she exclaimed in horror."I don't believe it."

"We caught him trying the uniform on," he revealed, his eyes already tearful at the memory."Lith almost got a heart attack."

The minutes passed, tense and filled with horror as they all pondered the best way to tackle the family crisis of such magnitude.

"You see?" Ivy turned to Morticia and sighed with an overdone exasperation."This is what happens when you don't use manuals to raise children."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The whole thing was quite different from what he's imagined. Less dramatic, mundane at times even and... infinitely longer than he was told it would be.

He didn't panic. Well, perhaps the correct description would be that he didn't panic  _as much as he thought he would._

The contractions started just after four o'clock in the morning and, admittedly, he panicked initially and quite substantially, when Morticia woke him up but she assured him, in her soft, calm voice, that the contractions were mild and quite pleasant. In fact, she was enjoying them. The only thing she complained about was that she hoped the early start didn't mean their baby was going to be an early riser like his father - the mere thought was to her terrifying.

There was, undoubtedly, an additional excitement mixed with a healthy dose of apprehension but otherwise, their morning was unremarkable. They still had their family breakfast together and went through their morning routine as Morticia's contractions, although they were getting progressively stronger, were still quite far apart from each other.

Naturally, everyone was ecstatic that it was finally happening and Ivy even insisted on skipping school so she wouldn't miss the birth but was told by Eudora that it will be still hours until the baby actually arrived. Nevertheless, they all promise to pick her from school earlier if need be. His daughter wasn't particularly pleased but agreed, surprisingly, without much resistance.

It turned out that Eudora Addams was right and their son took his very sweet time to arrive.

* * *

Gomez Addams hasn't been so stressed in years. It was difficult for him to describe how he was feeling except that he was quite overwhelmed.

At the beginning, and indeed, for most of the early labour, it was quite slow, calm and unremarkable. His wife had her bath and breakfast. Then she called their family midwife to let her know that the contractions have started and were advised to just continue with her normal routine and Maggie, the midwife, would be there soon. She decided not to call her mother until later, because she didn't want Hester to smother her with her over-excitement. Hence, in the end, they've spent the rest of the morning in the conservatory where Morticia was tending to her plants and Gomez had played chess with Thing. It felt...uncannily normal.

The hours past and the contractions progressed into more severe ones but nothing actually dramatic since Morticia had an impressively high threshold when it came to pain and she didn't so much wince since her contractions started, although he could tell she was getting tired. The pain was one thing but hours and hours of prolonged pain was something else entirely.

Still, it wasn't until Maggie, their family's trusted midwife, arrived, followed by Morticia's mother, and they all, Eudora included, started to arrange things ready for the labour...it finally hit him with the full force. It hit him like a ton of bricks that they were actually having a baby, in a matter of hours.

This, in itself, wasn't new, he was already a father after all but in so many ways it was a completely new experience and somehow, bizarrely, he didn't fully comprehend it until now.

His heart hasn't stopped its mad beating even for a moment. Even now, sitting on the bed, where his beloved wife was lying on her side with one hand over her stomach and the other, securely wrapped into his - almost eighteen hours since the first contractions started, his heart was racing in his chest, his lips were dry - with excitement and worry and everything.

She looked exhausted, her face was glistening with exertion and she squeezed his hand when another strong contraction hit her and she winced in pain. At the other side of the bed, Hester held her hand for support while Eudora wiped Morticia's face and hair with a cool, wet cloth.

Gomez smiled at her encouragingly and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles tenderly.

"How is it going?" he asked lightly.

"This is way more painful than I've thought," she admitted in a tired whisper but smiled at his tone. She was so tired, so so tired, she could no longer tell how long this labour was going on for, she just wanted it to finally end.

"You're doing great, my darling," Hester placated when Morticia whimpered in pain and leaned back, tilting her head back tiredly."Hang in there."

"Deep, slow breaths, love, it's not long now," Maggie assured gently - she's the very same midwife who helped deliver all Addams babies in the last forty years, including the very man whose wife was currently giving birth to their baby."I know it's been very long but you're almost there."

Gomez shifted nervously, Morticia looked even paler than usual, but then she has been in labour for almost a whole day, so that wasn't all that surprising. He wished, desperately, there was something he could do for her, anything to make him stop feeling so useless even though he knew, logically, there was nothing else he could do except being here for her.

"I love you," he whispered against her temple when Morticia squeezed his hand, surprisingly hard, bit her lower lip and moaned in pain."You're amazing, you can do it, querida."

She nodded faintly, tilting her head towards him and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. Gods, she wanted to be done with it, she wanted her baby and, miraculously, it seemed her baby finally decided it was a high time to end this ordeal.

"Now, at the next contraction, I want you to take a really good breath and push, ok?" Maggie's instructed calmly.

Morticia nodded, compressing her lips into a thin line. She really didn't remember ever being in so much pain for so long, even though it was a good pain, she was just too exhausted to even comprehend the difference at this point.

A few minutes later, that seemed to her somewhere near an eternity, she was in such agonizing pain, she was only vaguely aware of her mother's encouraging words and Gomez muttering to her words of apologies, but she did not have time to wonder what was he exactly apologising for when the next contraction hit her and she felt white, hot, searing pain tear through her and then a loud, wailing cry followed.

"It's a boy," the midwife announced with a bright smile. "And what an impressive set of lungs."

Morticia collapsed against the pillows - exhausted, breathing heavily but smiling happily at her grinning husband. Their son continued to cry ardently as Maggie proceeded to clean him gently.

"You did it," Gomez whispered hoarsely before claiming her lips in a firm kiss."I love you, God, I love you so much."

"Well, say hello to your son," Maggies smiled happily, bringing the baby towards them.

Morticia's held many babies throughout her life, but when the midwife placed her crying son into her arms, securely wrapped up in a dark-grey muslin cloth she felt her mouth go dry at the sudden and violent wave of love that hit her and immediately she felt her eyes sting with hot tears. All the pain, all the exhaustion was instantly forgotten. How could they matter, after all, now, with this beautiful creature in her arms? Their son, their little boy.

"Oh, my God," she whispered huskily at the baby."Oh, my God, Gomez look at him," she added, her words trembling. She placed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead and he stopped crying almost immediately, staring at her with his curious, deep blue eyes.

Next to her, Gomez couldn't stop grinning at the sight before him. He's seen many beautiful sights in his life, but watching his wife, his beloved querida, holding their newborn baby son in her arms was absolutely amazing, it was breathtaking. He was shocked at the sudden wave of protectiveness that engulfed him.

"He's perfect," he whispered, swallowing hard, his voice rough with emotions. He reached gently to brush the baby's faint hair with his fingertips."He's so tiny."

"He's actually a pretty big baby, Gomez," Maggie remarked with a laugh."I bet if you were to give birth to him, you wouldn't think him tiny at all."

Gomez laughed heartily before replying:

"Probably not."

"Oh Morticia, he's just beautiful," Eudora beamed happily at her grandson, drawing another proud smile from her daughter-in-law."Oh, he's going to break hearts, this one."

"Why don't you try to feed him?" the midwife said to Morticia, sitting gently next to her and helped her latch the baby to her breast. "That's it, good boy. How does that feel?"

"Weird," Morticia replied watching as the baby suck expertly while staring curiously at his mother.

"He's so gorgeous," Hester said softly, caressing her new grandson's tiny cheek tenderly."Oh my God, I'm going to cry," she admitted and no one even attempted to tell her that she already was."I'll go downstairs to tell everyone all is well," she added hoarsely and then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her daughter's head eliciting a tender smile from Morticia."Well done, my darling."

"We'll give you few moments alone," Maggie decided."I'll be back in a few minutes."

Once alone, Gomez turned to his wife, bringing his hand to lightly caress her cheek and felt his heart swell with such love and gratitude he could barely stand it.

"Thank you," he whispered, swallowing hard, pressing his forehead gently against hers."You're incredible, Tish, I'm so proud of you, cara mia."

Morticia grinned and looked at him tenderly. She felt the baby detach from her breast and momentarily panicked, expecting him to cry but he hasn't, instead he focused his gaze on her. She smiled as she watched her son's eyelids drop sleepily and leaned down to kiss his soft cheek.

"He's so cute," she whispered."So wonderful," she added and turned to her husband who was watching both of them with absolute awe on his face."Your turn," she smiled at him and she placed the baby gently into his arms.

He placed his finger into his tiny fist and instinctively the baby closed its little fingers around it.

"Hello there, little pup," he whispered hoarsely and placed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead."He's so perfect, Tish."

Morticia smiled tenderly, her husband looked utterly mesmerized. Actually, she was mesmerized herself because this - her husband with their infant son in his arms - must have been the most beautiful sight she's ever witnessed.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Forever," he replied in kind and was about to kiss her when the soft knock reverberated through the bedroom and the door opened and Maggie came in.

"He's done with his first meal?" she asked teasingly."I'll show you how to burp him," she said and came over to Gomez."Just place him on your shoulder and pat him gently on the back-"

"Like this?" Gomez asked eagerly, placing the baby gently on his shoulder.

"Yes, just hold on a second let me give you some muslin cloth in case he…," she winced slightly when the baby burped loudly and a second later vomited on his father's shirt."Vomits."

Morticia couldn't help but laugh as the baby settled contentedly in his father's arms, apparently all ready to go to sleep, utterly unconcerned that he's just messed up one of his father's favourite and most expensive white, silk shirts and his father didn't seem at all concerned either.

"Oh, it's alright," he assured, still grinning."This is how my children express affection towards me."

* * *

Carrying his new baby son down the stairs felt absolutely nerve-wracking, even though the baby was calm and simply gazed at him curiously. He was all washed and dressed, wrapped in a grey blanket, Gomez cradled him securely close to his chest, yet he was still terrified he's going to somehow slip from his grip.

"You're going to meet the rest of the family," he whispered and smiled when the baby yawned."We'll let your mother rest a little," he added. Since Hester and Maggie were helping Morticia to bath and change, and his mother took care of preparing the beds for them and the baby, Gomez decided it was a good moment to let everyone see the baby. In all honesty, he just couldn't wait to show his son off to the world, because he was absolutely perfect.

The whole family was in the parlour, except for his father-in-law, who was still at his shift in the hospital. All were eagerly awaiting to meet the new Addams, even though it was already nearing one o'clock in at night.

They've all turned towards him the moment they heard the movement at the door, all sans Ivy who was currently sprawled on the floor - sleeping soundly.

His father immediately darted from the sofa, so eager to meet his newest grandson but was instantly showed-off by his over a hundred-year-old aunt.

"Aurora, what the hell?" he exclaimed in outrage, massaging his arm vigorously. Damn, she was surprisingly strong for an old fossil like her.

"Let me see him," she demanded firmly and Gomez shook his head affectionately, but obediently placed his son securely in Aurora's arms.

"He's so beautiful," Ophelia cooed, standing behind Aurora to take a good look at her nephew."How is Morticia?"

"Fine," Gomez smiled at her."Exhausted, but fine."

Ophelia nodded and reached to smooth the baby's soft, fuzzy hair smiling at him brightly.

"Oh, he's gorgeous," Aurora smiled at the baby."Oh, just look at him, he already adores me," she decided happily when the baby wrapped his little fingers around her thumb. "What's his name?"

Gomez opened his mouth to reply before suddenly realizing that they haven't actually decided on the name yet.

"The baby," he admitted somewhat sheepishly, earning himself an exasperated glare from his aunt.

"Don't hog him," Salvador whined, fidgeting impatiently on the sofa next to Aurora."Let me hold my grandson."

"In a minute," Aurora retorted calmly."He likes it here with me," she declared as the baby stared at her unblinkingly.

"Is the baby here yet?" Ivy murmured sleepily into the carpet, still splattered on the floor and Gomez smiled at her affectionately.

"He's ready to meet you, the minute you scoop yourself up from the floor," he remarked softly and laughed when his daughter inhaled sharply and jumped up off the floor in a split second.

"Oh, wow," Ivy said slowly, still hazed from her sleep, as she came over to where Aurora was holding her baby brother."Can I hold him?" she asked tentatively.

"Why, of course you can," Aurora replied, her lips curling into a mean smirk when she heard Salvador's outraged inhale of breath."Come, sit down next to me," she instructed and Ivy sat down obediently."Hold him close and watch for the head," she added as she placed the baby in her arms.

"Oh, wow," Ivy repeated in awe and grinned at her brother happily."He's like...the best toy ever, daddy."

* * *

Morticia Addams couldn't say she remembered much from the moments following the birth of her son, it all seemed to her a bit of a blur. She was just so exhausted she fell asleep almost immediately once she was bathed and changed and resting comfortably in her bed.

Surprisingly, the baby didn't wake up for any night feeding during the first night which made her worry until Maggie assured her it was perfectly normal and he will catch up on his feeding later. The birth, she said, was as exhausting for the mother as it was for the baby, so no wonder the little pup decided to sleep right through his nightly feedings. It subsequently turned out Morticia had nothing to worry about because, indeed, her little boy now seemed to be constantly hungry but she loved bonding with him during breastfeeding, it felt to her absolutely amazing.

Even more amazing was her the discovery of how well her husband was at taking care of their newborn baby. He was surprisingly confident as he happily took the bathing and changing duties of their infant son.

"Oh, Gomez used to help to look after Lumpy," Eudora explained with an amused laugh as Morticia shared with her how amazed but nevertheless proud she was of her husband."Lith had very difficult labour so she's spent the first month here with us. Mind you, it was quite hilarious to watch Gomez and Wedge trying to change a diaper together, but at least now he's well versed in a diaper duty," she reminisced fondly.

"I was always better at it than Wedge," Gomez remarked proudly.

"When are you going to name him, though," Ophelia asked."He's three days old and still referred to as 'the baby'," she pointed out exasperatedly."You can't call him  _the baby_  forever."

"We haven't decided on the name yet, it's pure agony - so many names to choose from," Morticia explained just as the baby decided to vomit on his grandfather's shirt...again.

"My mom got a puppy once and he was vomiting all the time as well so we gave it away," Ivy piped out suddenly, curled on the sofa, next to Morticia."And it was one ugly puppy - a pug, but mom thought it's cute."

Gomez and Morticia looked at each other as if struck by a sudden thought before smiling brightly.

"Oh my God, you two, you aren't seriously thinking of actually naming my nephew after a wrinkly, short-muzzled dog, are you?" Ophelia interjected, clearly outraged at the mere thought.

"Why not?" Gomez asked, clearly baffled by her resistance."It's an excellent name."

"Because it's  _a baby_  and you do not name babies after small, ugly dogs?"

"Pugsley!" Gomez announced happily entirely ignoring his sister-in-law."What do you think, querida?"

"I think it suits him perfectly, darling," she smiled at her husband lovingly.

"Papa, help me please," Ophelia requested dramatically, but her father simply kept staring at his grandson, completely mesmerized as if he didn't vomit on him twice in the last half an hour.

"Hello, Pugsley," Mortimer grinned at the baby and his eldest daughter groaned dramatically."I'm your grandfather," he said and the baby reached to touch his nose. Gomez couldn't help but smile because gone was the imposing head of the Frump household. Indeed, his father-in-law looked like a completely dazzled pile of mush as he cooed at the baby in the softest way Gomez has ever heard him speak."Yes...yes I am."

* * *

A week into a glorious world of parenting to an infant baby boy, in which Pugsley focused practically exclusively on eating, sleeping and making sure his parents had to change as many diapers as it was humanly possible, Gomez and Morticia were surprised how relatively easy taking care of their son was. He was a very content baby that cried rarely and patiently endured new visitors that came to meet him. He was admittedly feeding frequently but slept uninterrupted for most of the night, allowing them to get some rest, so they really couldn't complain.

All that was shot to hell by the second week when Pugsley suddenly decided that sleeping for long period of times was not his thing, was practically constantly hungry and started having colics - usually in the middle of the night.

The honeymoon, so to speak, was over.

Morticia moaned tiredly as the sound of their son's crying woke them up as if she didn't feed him and put him to sleep slightly over an hour ago.

"I'll get him," Gomez mumbled before letting out a long yawn and slid wearily out of the bed. He felt as if they've gone to sleep only fifteen seconds ago when the house reverberated with loud cries again.

The little pup was obviously trying to kill them all, he thought proudly and couldn't help but smile at the thought of the little devil in the next room. His son didn't cry, he  _wailed_ until the very core of the house shook from his cries, so much so that Ivy started to sleep with earplugs in her ears. Needless to say, they were all extremely proud, especially Salvador who bragged to practically everyone what a little nightmare his grandson was.

"We should have named you Lucifer," Gome remarked slowly as he approached the Addams cradle where his son was crying his head off and picked him up. Unsurprisingly, the cries ceased immediately."You'll drive us insane, you little monster," he murmured fondly and kiss the baby's head softly before carrying him back to their bedroom.

Morticia stretched tiredly before pushing herself to a sitting position on the bed and smiled as Gomez entered their bedroom with Pugsley placed securely against his chest. She knew they were shamelessly spoiling him, but their son absolutely loved being carried around and rocked to sleep and created utter mayhem when he was put down in his cradle. Not to mention, that everyone, particularly his two grandfathers, seemed absolutely delighted to spoil him anyway.

"I'm just food for you, am I?" she teased when Pugsley opened his mouth the moment she took him in his arms.

"Can't blame him, your breasts are amazing," her husband quipped, laying down next to her on the bed.

" _Gomez,_ " she scolded but laughed nevertheless.

"What, they are," he grinned."Enjoy it while you can, son, because they will eventually return to their rightful owner -  _me_ ," he added linking his hands behind his head.

"You're incorrigible," she laughed before turning to the baby who was already in the midst of his feeding."Don't listen to this sex-obsessed maniac, my darling, be a gentleman."

"I'm a perfect gentleman," her husband remarked."Besides, may I remind you who scandalized the last PTA's meeting?"

"You may not," she laughed, swatting him gently on the arm with her free hand.

"You practically  _devoured me_  in front of everyone," he pointed out, grinning at her caddishly.

"Gomez Addams, stop scandalizing my baby. You poor, little darling," she addressed the baby dramatically."You will need so much therapy after this."

"Although, it did cut that meeting in half," he remarked in a matter of fact voice, making her laugh again."I won't even mention that time in the bistro when you went under the table…"

"Gomez, stop it…," she scolded but laughed even harder.

"And almost got us kicked out for indecent behaviour."

"I dropped my fork and you know it."

"That may be but it's certainly not the version of events I'm going to tell our grandchildren."

"I'm  _feeding your son_ ," she reprimanded in a half-amused, half-exasperated tone."Can we please make this conversation child-appropriate?"

"We can certainly not," he replied, utterly unconcerned."Serves him right for making us sleep-deprived zombies," he added before turning towards her and biting cheekily into her nightgown-cladded thigh, eliciting another laugh from her.

Morticia shook her head but sighed contentedly.

This, she thought, was the true magic - being a wife and a mother, to experience the love so complete it's almost incomprehensible - nothing was more precious than this.

Even now, in the middle of the night - sleep-deprived and utterly exhausted yet blissfully happy - it was to her idyllic.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading. Hope you've enjoyed! :)


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